Resist and Transform

Interview with Cristian Santiago, MOVIAC-Mexico

During the second day of the International Conference on Climate Change, Territories and Social Movements, the strategies of the Movement of Victims and People Affected by Climate Change -MOVIAC were presented. The presentation by the Mexican delegation alternated different voices of men and women who explained the context in which they work, including the particulars of the Mesoamerican country. In addition, their workplan and articulation focus for the Mexican territory was also presented.

Real World Radio interviewed Cristian Santiago, member of the Mexican Movement for Alternatives to Environmental Effects and Climate Change – MOVIAC Mexico
Santiago believes the context of the climate crisis is related to "land grabbing, the introduction of GMOs, biofuel plantations which do not even benefit the farmers who substitute traditional crops and that are supposedly promised that the market will bring them benefits and so they’ll have money to buy food".

MOVIAC Mexico considers this is one of the false solutions that affects peasant communities and native peoples, such as wind farms and dams promoted by neoliberal governments.

One of the strategies prioritized by MOVIAC relates to the recovery of articulations blocked by the Mexican administrations and their aid programmes, and even with the promotion of paramilitary groups. "That’s why we’ve been analyzing the importance of a rearticulation, of the reconciliation of movements that were divided for several reasons and now we are realizing that if we don’t join efforts, especially at Mesoamerican and Latin American level, we won’t be able to confront this extraction and exploitation model", said Santiago.

The anthropologist and activist believes that “the defense of lands and territories is based on the same vision of indigenous and peasant peoples, so it seems that the articulation we are trying to achieve in Chiapas, and in many other parts of the country, is taking place through the defense of land, culture and spirituality”.

The Mexican articulation plan implies a capacity-building work in the communities with reference to the main threats and environmental conflicts, prioritizing mobilizations, organization and the search for alternatives to climate change. That’s why MOVIAC Mexico highlights the need of transformation, in addition to resisting.

In terms of the future possibilities of articulation by MOVIAC in Mesoamerica and the advances proposed at the International Conference, Santiago highlighted the need to "establish a common agenda, we are facing the same companies, the same situation of nature exploitation and we need to organize ourselves also at regional level. If capitalists are organized at transnational level, then we have that possibility as well".